The Warriors finally moved Steph Curry back into the starting lineup, shifting center Kevon Looney to the bench for just the third time this season, and Golden State’s new rotation found success early. The Nuggets used an early burst from Aaron Gordon to keep things close, but despite Gordon’s 12 first-quarter points, Denver trailed 30-25 at the end of the first quarter.
None of the Warriors heavy offensive hitters found their rhythm in the first half. Without explosions from Curry, Jordan Poole, or Klay Thompson, the Warriors struggled to hold their lead. On the other side of the ball, Nuggets big men Nikola Jokić and DeMarcus Cousins each consistently gave Golden State problems.
Coming out of the half tied at 48, the Warriors looked out of sorts throughout the third quarter. Their shots were not falling from the outside, and while they had some success getting to the free-throw line, they struggled to convert. As Golden State began forcing the issue, some ugly turnovers followed. The Nuggets built a 10-point lead before Curry finally had a short shooting burst to bring things back to single digits.
